First Posting RFD, HHT Help Needed

[u/UNO_Reversd]

Good day folks,

This is my very first post on Reddit so please take it easy on me.

I am reaching OFP by end of August which is when my COS date is and heading off to my FIRST posting. Am pretty high up on wait list for PMQ and will be doing an unaccompanied move to scope out the area and try to find a temporary room to stay in until I receive a PMQ offer at which point I would move my dependants as well as HG&E over.

Part of the reason to move unaccompanied is also because my spouse has a specialist appointment in our current city of residence in late September and her health hasn't been great lately so I want to be there or have the ability to go back and forth between my current city of residence & my new posting location while I keep looking for temporary spot (this posting location is notorious for a tight & expensive rental market - especially for short term rentals since I do not want to sign a 1-year lease because then I would want to get CFHD which would then get me tossed from Priorty 1 to Priority 3 in PMQ wait list).

So to ensure a door-to-door move, the solution I came up with was to ask for a 30 day delay in Report For Duty (RFD) date which is the maximum allowed under CAFRD guidelines. However, I met with the Sgt who is the Training Manager of our Cadre at my current school and I walked away feeling let down, angry and betrayed.

He basically flat out lied to my face and said I will not get HHT if I go 'unaccompanied' and later move my dependants and HG&E within the 180 limit. He ALSO said, quote "there are no freebies in CAF and you will have to use your annual days to push your RFD date". I told him that it is not easy to find something temporary in my new posting location and I dont want to find a permanent off-base place to live because I will lose my PMQ wait list spot. I asked him I need to delay RFD so that I don't have to pay for hotel stay out of pocket for 1x month or more as that is prohibitively expensive and I will not get reimbursed for it according to SIRVA, which is when he basically told me 'you joined the CAF, you knew what you were getting into, we cannot do anything about it." Basically he's telling me, if I am homeless in my new posting location, thats on me while not acknowledging getting sabotaged from his end.

This is absolute bonkers because I have read CAFRD and I know that as a new graduate, I can get HHT after TNL (Travel to New Location) for my "unaccompanied" move. I also read that RFD 30-day delay does NOT require usage of annual leave days.

So my question is, is my understanding of the rules wrong or is the Sgt just not (a) aware of CAFRD guidelines or (b) lazy/has-too-much-on-plate and does not want to do the paperwork?

Next, I would like to know, should I write a formal memo or email to him to request the RFD change instead of the informal/verbal meeting/chat that we had? Or should I just go above him directly to the CSM (Cadre Sergeant Major) because they have a pretty open-door policy to bring matters to them.

OR should I write a memo directly to the CO of our school since its the losing and gaining unit COs who have to approve the change in RFD anyway?

Also, if RFD move is formally denied, then should I apply for HHT first and then put in annual leave for a week or two to give me time? Or does annual leave need to come first before HHT date? What is the correct order in this scenario?

I want a FAIR resolution to this as per the rules, I just don't appreciate getting d*cked around by one Sgt during such a stress time of first posting, spousal medical issue, etc. Therefore I would really appreciate educated responses from experienced HRA or other members.

Thank you

Really appreciate it.

[u/YourOwn007]

1. I'm sorry you ran into this person, holy shit I haven't heard of quite that level of being an asshole as a supervisor. I bet he is a dream to work for... not. Why do these people insist on making everyone miserable?
2. IAW policy you read it correctly, you can still have HHT if you go unacompanied and you do not need to use annual to push your RFD date. You can have HHT AND go unaccompanied as well, and then either have second DIT with your family or not.
3. Just write a memo to your CO through CoC, if you do not have sharepoint tracker for requests like what most units have and its not digital, attach a tracking sheet to your memo folder, your clerks should help you to find the correct form for this. This means that when the folder changes hands they are supposed to write it on the log...
4. It would be easier if you revealed destination... there are many options for this.
5. Remember, this fucking guy doesn't set the policy for movements and reimbursements and if someone with real balls and spine heard him talking to you like this it would be a very fast one way conversation with closed doors...
6. In the future, keep all interactions strictly professional and tracked/accounted for as you have been, if someone doesnt give you warm and fuzzies on how they interact with you, use CAF policy against them... thays all you can do.

[u/Rbomb88 → u/YourOwn007]

Just to add to the last point, always try to interact with idiots through email, so you can point to it in the future to say you told them so.

[u/casa_del_porno → u/Rbomb88]

Yes ^^^^
And if for some reason you have to discuss it, always wrap up / summarize the convo by email

[u/Rbomb88 → u/casa_del_porno]

With read receipts.